


Out Of The Dark

by MeredithBrody



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-21 14:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1554167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/pseuds/MeredithBrody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A nightmare strikes, but out of the darkness comes a saviour, and Jon remembers that he's not alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out Of The Dark

In the dark room all alone Jon just heard his daughter cry out. He ran through the halls, trying to search her out. He couldn't let Serena's cries go unanswered. He felt like he was getting closer to her, like she was only a breath away, then he paused, hearing a scream that sounded like his wife. A moment later her voice told him that he was right. He had to choose, did he grab Serena or did he search out Erika. “Jonathan.” Was called again, a little softer than before and much closer. He started looking round for her. “Jon.” He heard a second later, this time drowning out everything around him, including the light he'd been running to. “Come on my love wake up. It’s just a dream.”

There was a phantom on his chest, a feeling like there was a hand there, rubbing in small soft circles. He took a breath and focused on that voice, that feeling. They told him that he would be safe if he followed them. “Jon, it's just a dream.” The voice crystallised, and he realised it was once again the voice of his wife, sounding whole and healthy. Quite the opposite of what he'd heard in the dream. He opened his eyes and saw her concerned face watching him. She seemed relieved a moment later when he opened his eyes, smiling at him as she did, continuing to rub the circles on his chest. “Jonathan.” She whispered, and he really thought about where she was, who she was. It was more then he could bear, realising that he was awake, and Erika was really there.

“Oh god.” He sat up as he woke properly, then wrapped his arms around her. Needing to hold onto her tightly to remember that she was there. They were both OK, he was sure of that. He could still hear Serena's cries in his mind. Erika was there though, with him, and there was absolutely no chance that she would leave their daughter in a dangerous position. Which meant she was probably asleep.

She squeezed him tightly and kissed his cheek. It was too much for him sometimes. They both had nightmares, he knew that. The war and the years before it had left them both with too many scars to count. They weren't all the same either, and the two of them had had to learn how to deal with it. Often there wasn't a way to deal with it other than to there for each other. “That was a bad one?” She asked, whispering quietly in his ear.

“Yeah. You and Rena-” He started, but she just leant back and put her finger on his lips, just stopping him from talking any more. After a few moments he stopped trying and just kissed her finger. Glad that she was there with him and that she knew exactly how he felt.

She stroked his cheek again, stopping him from trying to speak again. He was glad that she was beside him, and he was sure she'd be able to help him feel better. “Shush, Jon. I’m fine, Rena’s snoring I just checked on her 10 minutes ago.” She waved behind her to the corridor that led to the rest of their apartment, including Serena's bedroom down the back.

“Good.” He mumbled and just kept a hand on Erika’s, laying back until he was half laid on his side so he could still look at her easily.

She still looked concerned, and he could understand why. Their nightmares had always been a barometer for the level of stress and worry they had in their lives. Over the last several months both had been increasing. His workload had tripled recently, and hers had been full of negative reports from her Captains. They were both being pushed to a limit, but Erika was still more concerned. “It’s been a while since you’ve woken up like that. Stressed?”

“The situation on Deneva. It’s just got to me, that’s all.” Three days earlier a bomb had gone off in the newly rebuilt marketplace on Deneva colony. So far nobody had been able to guess who had set the charge, though the favoured choices were either the Klingons or the Orions. Neither a pleasant thought for the two of them. He was pretty sure he was still a criminal in the eyes of the Empire, and the Orions had cause Erika enough pain for a lifetime.

It seemed her thoughts were around the same part. “I know, it’s why I’m not asleep too.”

“Another nightmare?” He had to ask, she didn’t always wake him up when she had one, and hers had been getting worse again recently, for no reason either of them had been able to pinpoint.

“No I just couldn’t get to sleep. Scoot.” She nudged him gently then laid down beside him, snuggling under the covers. He moved her slightly, so that she was moulded into his front. He wanted to keep hold of her, but he also felt a little guilty that he may have inadvertently stopped her falling to sleep, that was not at all what he'd wanted.

“I didn’t keep you awake?” He asked. Plenty aware that when he had a nightmare he could be loud, and that it was never the easiest to sleep beside him when that happened. He was never quite sure how Erika did it, how she managed to lay beside him when he couldn't stop the dreams. Her nightmares were often quieter, and he tended to wake up to her crying and trying to stop herself doing just that. He hated that she felt she needed to do that to protect him.

She just shook her head against his arm and threaded her fingers through his. “No, I didn’t even hear you until you started thrashing.” He sighed and tried to wipe all the negative out of his mind for the moment, Erika’s voice helping him do that. “It’ll be OK Jon. They’ll be OK. Deneva has had it’s share of setbacks the last few years.”

“It’s not really Deneva that bothers me.” He fought the urge to sit up, knowing that if he did he’d just end up disrupting the both of them, and even though they were currently talking, there was more chance of sleep occurring if they stayed laid down. “It’s the thought that only 4 years since we made peace with the Romulans we could be looking at another war. The Federation isn’t even stable yet.”

“I know, Jon. There isn’t going to be a war. It was a misunderstanding or an accident.” She was just trying to cheer him up, because there was no way anyone could know that, but he decided he might as well let her.

“When we got married and thought about having Rena did you ever think it would be this hard? That you’d worry so much about every little thing?”

“When we got married?? Jonathan with the amount of dangerous things you’ve done over the years I worried whenever you left the solar system.” Erika argued back, and for a second he stopped and thought about everything he’d put her through, both before they were married and before they were even together. Over the years he’d gotten himself into plenty of tight spots. He wondered again how she had coped with him as long as she did.

“I was very talented at getting into scrapes, wasn’t I?” He grinned, almost certain that what he was trying to say was that she was right. Just like usual. She had a habit of often being right, and he wasn’t sure entirely how that happened. It just did.

Erika it seemed was in as playful a mood now as he was, and that just made it even easier to tease her. She was winning on that front right now.“Oh yes Admiral Archer, you were.”

“Well, Captain Hernandez, you have given me a reason to try and behave.” The smiled and kissed her deeply, pulling her closer to his chest, wanting to feel her against him. When he broke for air he couldn’t help but be proud again that this woman had chosen him.

She smirked at him a second then her features rearranged themselves into a sarcastic smirk which worried him far more than anything else she could have done. “Emphasis on the word try huh?”

“Hey!” He poked her in the side with just enough force to make her sit up and glare at him from a different angle.

“It’s true.” She smacked him in the side of the head with a pillow and laughed quietly. Both of them being very aware of the noise they were making and hoping they didn’t wake up the little one.

“You are lucky I love you Erika Hernandez. How about we work on getting tired enough to sleep.” He grinned and wrapped his arms around her tightly then kissed her hard. They didn't get too much time to be alone together now. Either their work or Serena took all their time, and all they could do was fall asleep in each other's arms. But they were both awake, and they were together. It was worth it.

They were cuddled down, and all of a sudden there was a noise at the door. They both looked around and smiled at each other before looking toward the door and opening their arms. “Daddy I can’t sleep. Can I sleep with you?” The three-year-old mumbled, and he had a momentary silent battle of wills with Erika. They were trying to break the toddler of her dependence of climbing into their bed when she couldn't sleep. But tonight he was a little grateful that she was there.

“One night only.” He gave in, and just smirked at Erika as she glared at him. While he knew he shouldn’t let Serena keep getting into bed with them, he also knew that tonight he’d sleep better. If he had both his girls by his side he wouldn't have another nightmare, and if he did they were right there.


End file.
